Top 10 Best Pressure Cookers in India 2018

Pressure Cooker is a cooking appliance found in almost every Indian kitchen. It is an airtight utensil in which food can be cooked quickly under steam pressure.

Pressure cooker cooks food faster than conventional cooking methods which saves time and energy. Pressure cooking requires less water compared to other conventional types of cooking, which means that more vitamins and minerals are retained in the food.

Pressure cookers are easy and handy to use, maintain and clean. Since the pressure cookers provide a sealed environment, there is no loss of flavour and moisture in evaporation.

In this guide, I am going to tell about how to choose the best pressure cooker for your needs and which are the top 10 best pressure cookers in India right now. I have included in list, the best pressure cooker brands in India like Hawkins, Prestige and Pigeon.

Types of Pressure Cookers

There are mainly 3 types of pressure cookers:

1. Aluminium Pressure Cookers – As the name suggests, these cookers are made of aluminium. They are extremely affordable.

Aluminium is an excellent conductor of heat, so these pressure cookers tend to work very well. However, aluminium is a lightweight material.

As a result, pressure cookers that are made entirely out of aluminium don’t tend to last very long. The metal can become warped or blemished easily, and it also tends to be susceptible to staining.

Aluminium is reactive in nature and may react to acidic ingredients in the food.

2. Stainless Steel Pressure Cookers – As the name suggests, these cookers are made of stainless steel. They are a little more expensive than their aluminium counterparts.

Stainless steel is prized for its strength and durability, so these pressure cookers tend to last long. The finish of a stainless steel pressure cooker is more likely to stay like new while aluminium models tend to become stained and damaged more easily.

Models that are made out of stainless steel tend to be heavier though, so it’s important to choose one that has sturdy, well-designed handles. Unfortunately, stainless steel isn’t a good heat conductor.

Stainless steel is non-reactive and doesn’t react to acidic ingredients of food.

3. Hard Anodized Aluminium Pressure Cookers – Anodization is the process of involving electro-chemical reaction to form aluminium oxide, which covers it all over the surface. Although, the aluminium appears in a light, professional look, but the chemical reaction makes it tougher and reliable.

This process produces a surface harder than steel with wonderful properties for cooking. The chemically reacted product might be harder than the usual stainless steels but it is lighter in weight compared to them.

The Hard Anodised surface is non-toxic, non-staining and non-reactive with foods.It is thermal-efficient, heats fast and evenly and is not spoiled by high heat. It is tough and durable, will not tarnish or corrode and will stay looking new for years.

Features to Look for When Buying a Pressure Cooker

1. Size – When buying a pressure cooker, you should calculate the capacity by keeping the size of family in need or the number of persons for which the food would be cooked in the cooker.

Following is the table giving the capacity of pressure cooker you should buy according to family size:

Pressure Cooker Capacity(in Litres)

Family Size

1.5L

1-2 Persons

2L

2-3 Persons

3L

3-4 Persons

3.5L

4-5 Persons

4L

4-6 Persons

5L

5-7 Persons

6.5L

7-9 Persons

7L

8-10 Persons

2. Handles – When it is filled with foods and liquids, a pressure cooker can become very heavy. It can also be very hot.

Therefore, it’s important to choose a model that has sturdy, large handles. There should be one handle on each side to ensure that the pressure cooker can be moved easily and safely.

3. Inner lid pressure cookers vs outer lid pressure cookers – Pressure cookers come in two models based on the lid type -with inner lid and outer lid. In the inner lid models, the top of the lid goes inside of the cooker.

Whereas in the outer lid model, the top of the lid stays outside of the cooker container. In general, the large size pressure cooker use outer lids and small cookers sizes make use of inner lids.

It is considered as that inner lid types are safer compared to outer lid as they employ extra lock in mechanism to hold the build up the extra pressure.

5. Avoid Non-Stick Coating – Non-stick pressure cookers should be avoided. Non-stick surfaces don’t last long, and will show signs of wear and tear soon.

6. Manufacturer and Warranty – You’re going to use your pressure cooker for many years, so do a quick check on pressure cooker companies, and the warranties they offer. Usually, replacement parts for your cooker are not covered in a warranty, so go for a company that always has replacements and accessories in stock.